What Trees Say About Neighborhood Health And Equity

August 31, 2021
DENVER-AIR-QUALITY-POLLUTION-WILDFIRE-SMOKE-1DENVER-AIR-QUALITY-POLLUTION-WILDFIRE-SMOKE-1Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Trees are indicators of a neighborhood's health and equity.

Money might not grow on trees. But “trees grow on money,” says Chris David. He’s with the nonprofit American Forests and helped create a new “Tree Equity Score.” The online tool assesses communities on their canopies-- down to the neighborhood. Metro Denver’s in there. Grand Junction. Colorado Springs. Pueblo. And how verdant a place is-- is related to health, crime, and wealth. Chris David says U.S. cities are about half a billion trees short.